The City Parks and Glasgow 2018 Explorer explores the Glasgow’s parks north of the Clyde, two of them which offer stunning views across the city. The route also connects three of the main venues for the 2018 European Championships for cycling, swimming and gymnastics. Highlights include exploring Glasgow Green, the Clyde Walkway, the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome at the Emirates Arena, the beautiful roses at Tollcross Park, the views from Alexandra Park and visiting Glasgow Necropolis.

Route Description:

Starting at Broomielaw Pontoon the route follows the Clyde eastbound to Glasgow Green. Here it passes the 2014 Commonwealth Games structure, the People's Palace and Winter Garden and the Nelson Monument, before venturing further along the quiet cycle route to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome at the Emirates Arena. This is a great opportunity to discover the track cycling venue for the 2018 European Championships, before heading to Tollcross Park. Internationally famous for its unique Rose Garden, the park offers plenty of opportunities to explore and also to discover the swimming venue for Glasgow 2018, the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The route follows roads from here to Alexandra Park, which offers not only great views across the city to the south, but also features a small community mountain bike track. From here the route ventures on quiet roads to the Glasgow Necropolis, a Victorian cemetery built on a low, but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral. Through city centre streets and cycle paths the route heads further towards Glasgow’s West End, where Kelvingrove Park offers plenty of choice to rest for a while. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, situated close to the route in the park, is one of Scotland's most popular free attractions and features 22 themed, state-of-the-art galleries displaying over 8000 objects. The route meets the Clyde at the SSE Hydro, the venue for gymnastics at the 2018 European Championships, before finishing at Broomielaw Pontoon.

Alternatives:

There are plenty of train stations along the route to shorten it. At the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome there’s the opportunity to follow the cycle route along the Clyde to Drumpellier Country Park and back via the Seven Lochs Trail, and connect back to the route from Hogganfield Park. Several cycle routes pass through Kelvingrove Park. Part of the route follows the Mural Trail, which features Glasgow’s unique large scale outdoor paintings.